Can the incidence of unplanned reoperations be used as an indicator of quality of care in surgery?

The incidence of unplanned reoperations could potentially be used as an indicator of quality of care. This study provided insight into the incidence of unplanned reoperations in a surgical department and added to the discussion of the value of unplanned reoperations as an indicator of quality of care. Between January 1996 and December 2003, all unplanned reoperations were entered prospectively into a complication registration system. The number of unplanned reoperations was 447 (1.7%). Unplanned reoperations occurred frequently after vascular (6.5%) and colon surgery (5.7%) and were caused predominantly by errors in surgical technique (70%) and patients' comorbidities (21%). Mortality for patients requiring unplanned reoperations was significantly higher than for patients who did not require reoperations (10.3% versus 4.0%). Unplanned reoperation rates can be an indicator of quality of care. However, a prospective, well-defined registry is essential to ensure an accurate assessment of the quality of care provided.